


Making Amends

by lar_laughs



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-13
Updated: 2010-08-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 01:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lar_laughs/pseuds/lar_laughs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mick has some serious mistakes to make right so this birthday gift needs to be perfect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Amends

For two days, he'd been searching the shops for the perfect present. The bizarre of Terkishjan usually had everything one could desire but it seemed to be lacking something today. No where could he find what he was looking for.

"Are you sure you will not take this material? The pattern. It is one of a kind. I can verify this, most honored Sir."

He shook his head at the shopkeeper but the man persisted, rubbing the fabric against his hand as if he could convince him to buy it on touch alone. "No, Ba'ger. Take it away. It's not what I'm looking for."

Each shop that normally enticed him to lay down hard earned money for trinkets and gifts was devoid of that one special prize that he knew he needed to bring home this time. If he were to arrive without anything for this birthday, he might as well pack up his bags and look for a room to let. The last time he'd found her at home, they'd ended up screaming at each other. Normally, he sent her something from his next stop and left her alone for a few weeks, coming back to a calm few days of love and laughter. Those days were turning into hours and the hours were spent in explanations. She deserved more.

"It's for a special birthday," he told Shannarisha, a veiled lady who knew how to use scent. On a couple of occasions, he'd bought a certain blend of citrus and jasmine that always reminded him of her. This time, he wanted something more than the usual gifts. "She deserves the best."

The wizened woman looked deep into his eyes, making him uncomfortable enough that he took a step back. The eyes, if not the keys to the soul, were nonetheless important. He knew better than to let anyone see his for too long when he was on the job. Even a shopkeeper, an old woman whose hand shook too much to be affective with a knife, could use the information to their advantage.

"You have the gift with you. Now you need the courage to use it. Don't worry. It will come to you."

"What?" he asked but drew back when she held out her hand and blew powder at him. It stung his eyes and made his sinuses explode. When he was done sneezing, the woman was gone. As a matter of fact, the whole bizarre was gone. Because he didn't like to be in wide open spaces like this, he pulled out his wand for protection before Apparating back to the safe house.

He took out everything from the bag he'd been carrying with him this time. There was nothing more than the normal kit he normall brought with him on a mission. Even though he wasn't currently on a mission, at least not one that the Ministry knew about, he still followed protocol and had left behind everything that would give him away for who he was.

"What could she possibly have meant?" he muttered. "All I have is myself. Like always."

He prowled the room again. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner but he wasn't hungry anyway. None of the bars he normally went to were open this early in the day. There was nothing for him to do but sit and wait and contemplate this puzzle.

"Something I have with me already and I have nothing. Fourteen hours until her birthday and still I have nothing to bring with me. I can't exactly stand before her with my hands out, empty, and expect her to be happy. That's all I want. Her happiness."

The sun sat and still he paced the floor. At midnight he stopped only because his body demanded it but it didn't matter. He'd been fighting this demon within himself for months now. No, longer than that. Ever since he'd met her. When he awoke, before the sun but not before the heat of the day, he pulled out his last parchment and ripped it in two. On one part, he wrote out a letter to his superiors, asking to be assigned to the unit on the Isle of Man. It was a cushy job without much glamor but they had set hours. Surely, he'd grow to appreciate it over time. He was getting too old for this spy stuff, anyway.

On the other scrap, he wrote out the words he'd been dreading. Not because he didn't feel them because he'd known for some time that he was in love with her. The kind of love where a guy gave up the job he'd worked so hard for because he knew it was what she wanted. No, he was scared because he wasn't sure of her reaction. This was it. If she threw him out this time, he'd have nothing. No, that wasn't true. He'd have the memories of her but that didn't keep a man warm at night. Not the kind of warm he'd need after spending the day drinking stale coffee and telling stories of the glory days.

He watched as both owls flew into the air, each of them flying in nearly the same direction. As one of them got smaller, the other suddenly seemed to get larger. It landed with uncommon grace on the railing of the balcony and began to preen its freathers.

"Shoo!" he ordered, waving his hands. "This is not what I'm paying you to do, you lazy bird."

It looked down at the road below the flat expectedly before flying down to the gate. When it opened, he wasn't surprised to see her on the other side. Not really. After all, the old woman had told him she was coming, even if he hadn't realized it right away.

"I've got two weeks coming to me and I was about to spend my birthday watching it rain. You were in an exotic location so I figured I'd come visit you for awhile."

He stared at her with an open mouth, much as he had sense she let herself into the safe house with a key that was only given out to agents. "But how?" he asked her again.

"You think you're the only one with connections?"

"But I was coming home to see you. To tell you I was quitting my job so I could spend more time with you."

She only sighed and sat on the bed, patting the comforter next to her. "I don't really want you under my feet all the time. Especially not if you're going to be miserable."

"I want to," but they both knew it was a lie. "I'm giving you myself for your birthday."

When she finished laughing, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, she leaned forward to kiss him. "Thank you but I'd rather have a new pair of shoes. The strappy kind with the tall heel that you say make my legs look killer. Why don't we go shopping and I'll show you the ones."

"I already sent the owl to my boss, telling him I was quitting," he reminded her later, as they lay curled tightly together. The heat wasn't affecting them one bit as they basked in the feeling of the other's skin for a bit longer.

"Then tell him you were drunk and that you just want a few more days between assignments. And more pay. I think I'm going to start asking for bigger presents."

He pushed a few strands of her hair out of his mouth as he rearranged their limbs once again. "Like what?"

"A bigger house, for one. Somewhere in the country, I think. With more rooms."

"For your research?"

"No, silly. For the kids."

She laughed at him as he choked on the warm air, his body suddenly unable to process oxygen like it used to when it was younger. "Kids? Are you trying to tell me something?"

The old lady sat under her tent in the bizarre, her wares spread out so that everyone could see them. They didn't stop but she saw him turn around and look in under the flap of the door that had been flipped up so that the air could circulate better. She smiled, nodding softly. Her best customer. He would be back. She had no doubt of it. Maybe next time, he'd buy something more than just the smallest bottle of scent. After all, he owed her for the a present she'd given him for his woman. From the look of her, it might be wise to stock up on some softer scents more appropriate for little girls. But not just yet. Soon, though. He'd be back. She was sure of it.


End file.
